Pa. school district stocks classrooms with rocks to combat school shooters

[icymist]

A Pennsylvania school district has armed its students with rocks to defend themselves in the event of a school shooting.

David Helsel, the superintendent of Blue Mountain School District in Schuylkill County, said at a state House Education Committee hearing on school safety this week that his district’s classrooms are equipped with 5-gallon buckets of river rocks.

"If an armed intruder attempts to gain entrance to any of our classrooms, they will face a classroom full of students armed with rocks,” he said. “And they will be stoned.”

Helsel emphasized to BuzzFeed News that the so-called go buckets are a “last-resort” effort in the district’s active school shooter defense plan, which also includes automatic door-securing technology and lock-in and lockdown procedures.

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/380016-pennsylvania-school-district-supplies-classrooms-with-buckets-of-rocks

[liberalmuse]

1. I'm looking for "The Onion" or "Borowitz Report"...

but I don't see them referenced. Please tell me this is a joke!

[icymist]

5. It's for real. Video at the link is as surreal to watch.

nt

[liberalmuse]

8. I'm done.

America has officially become too stupid to live.

[brush]

12. It's not so dumb if we think it through.

First off, we know right now the NRA still has the repug party in their grip so sensible gun regulation is not happening in the near future.

Secondly, trump's idea of arming teachers is nonsensical and scary. Who wants teachers packing as they try to do their real job?

Visualize a shooter coming into a classroom being hit with a barrage of rocks. He/she is going to be stunned and maybe distracted enough to retreat, whereas the school resource officer, hopefully tracking him, weilbe able to take him out and save lives.

The idea is cheap and as low tech as you can get and certainly not a long-term solution but it can be done NOW in this NRA-dominated era of no gun control.

[liberalmuse]

13. I guess we are really going back to being Neanderthals.

I have thought it through and you're right. "Dumb" isn't the right word. Arming kids with rocks thinking it will protect them against assault weapons is fucking asinine. Rocks aren't going to do a damn thing against someone with a military weapon. Hell, guns in the hands of the "good guys" do little to help, either, but rocks? ROCKS???

[brush]

15. Until the NRA-dominated repug party changes we aren't getting sensible gun control.

I say anything that can distract and slow a shooter down until a cop gets there is worth a shot.

And by "anything" I don't mean teachers with guns.

[JDC]

2. Any and every "solution" but the most obvious

Guns are the problem. Less guns, means less gun deaths.

[Angry Dragon]

3. lunch ladies armed with hot oil

[struggle4progress]

4. Rainy day woman

[Butterflylady]

6. Yeah, that'll stop someone with an automatic weapon!

[meow2u3]

7. That idea is dumber than a bucket of rocks

[mshasta]

10. Lol

[Hortensis]

9. I think it's a very good idea for a few reasons.

One, it's extremely inexpensive, especially desirable since it'll never need to be used and doesn't take budget away from something that is very needed.

Two, it's extremely low maintenance, hose off once a year perhaps but that's not necessary.

Three, it's sensibly proactive, not overdoing the angst but teaching students to react positively to danger.

Four, although use should always be secondary to hiding safely, when that is not possible it could work.

I like it.

[Ohiogal]

11. Whoever thought this was a good idea

Has rocks in their HEAD.

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Good Lord. Next stop is Crazy Town.

K&R to showcase the weapons grade STUPID

[Lucinda]

16. The comment section at the link is golden...

[Brother Buzz]

17. Indeed!

If rocks are outlawed only outlaws will have rocks!

A whole school full of baby Ernest T. Bass's, how nostalgic.

Rock beats scissors, if the assailant has scissors they should be good. But there's always that school room filled with paper.

[onethatcares]

18. what's next?

yard darts? Just the mere thought of those should scare the crap out of a shooter.

I moved from Pennsylvania 40 years ago, thank gaud.

[leftyladyfrommo]

19. Slingshots.

They need slingshots.

Or how about peashooters?

A handful of darts.

A fire extinguisher in every room.

[oberliner]

20. Substantially less stupid idea than arming teachers

Which some people (including the president) actually take seriously.